A small, family-run hotel struggling to survive on the north shore of Massachusetts is the setting for this novel about a family of dreamers. Alex, the father, has been writing novels his entire life, none of which have been published. Uncle Buck wants to make the hotel famous nationwide, but seems to stumble at every turn. His niece, Fran, struggles to wrest control of the hotel from him, knowing full well she can run it better than he can, while her brother, Jack, seems only interested in the women who come to the bar. Robert, the youngest son, is embarrassed by his eccentric family and it's shabby hotel, and believes that dreamers are deluded.